The Woodblock Prints

As part of my summer break leisure and learning goals, I went to the Brown County Art Gallery this week to see some woodblock prints by Gustave Baumann.   The Art Gallery has a whole room devoted to his work.  I even watched a short video. 

 Gustave Baumann was born in Germany, but moved to Chicago at age 10.  He later moved to Brown County and lived there for six to ten years.  (Not sure if it's six or ten). He was somewhat famous for his colorful woodblock prints.  He was friends with T.C. Steele and a member of the artists' colony.  He lived above a drug store in Nashville.  His rent was 4 dollars a month. 

After Baumann soaked all he could from the Hoosier state, he moved out west to Santa Fe. He married and had one daughter. His artwork is displayed in 100 museums around our great land. 

After learning about Baumann firsthand,  I focused on leisure for the rest of the afternoon. I bought two ammonites from a rock shop, a novel at Naughty Dog Books and a salamander at the toy store.  

Learning about Baumann has spurred me to learn more about woodblock printmaking.  I may soon explore making my own block prints, using potatoes.